Madam How and Lady Why eBook

But of one thing I must warn you, that you must not
confound Madam How and Lady Why. Many people
do it, and fall into great mistakes thereby,—­mistakes
that even a little child, if it would think, need not
commit. But really great philosophers sometimes
make this mistake about Why and How; and therefore
it is no wonder if other people make it too, when
they write children’s books about the wonders
of nature, and call them “Why and Because,”
or “The Reason Why.” The books are
very good books, and you should read and study them:
but they do not tell you really “Why and Because,”
but only “How and So.” They do not
tell you the “Reason Why” things happen,
but only “The Way in which they happen.”
However, I must not blame these good folks, for I have
made the same mistake myself often, and may do it
again: but all the more shame to me. For
see—­you know perfectly the difference between
How and Why, when you are talking about yourself.
If I ask you, “Why did we go out to-day?”
You would not answer, “Because we opened the
door.” That is the answer to “How
did we go out?” The answer to Why did we go
out is, “Because we chose to take a walk.”
Now when we talk about other things beside ourselves,
we must remember this same difference between How and
Why. If I ask you, “Why does fire burn
you?” you would answer, I suppose, being a little
boy, “Because it is hot;” which is all
you know about it. But if you were a great chemist,
instead of a little boy, you would be apt to answer
me, I am afraid, “Fire burns because the vibratory
motion of the molecules of the heated substance communicates
itself to the molecules of my skin, and so destroys
their tissue;” which is, I dare say, quite true:
but it only tells us how fire burns, the way or means
by which it burns; it does not tell us the reason
why it burns.

But you will ask, “If that is not the reason
why fire burns, what is?” My dear child, I
do not know. That is Lady Why’s business,
who is mistress of Mrs. How, and of you and of me;
and, as I think, of all things that you ever saw,
or can see, or even dream. And what her reason
for making fire burn may be I cannot tell. But
I believe on excellent grounds that her reason is
a very good one. If I dare to guess, I should
say that one reason, at least, why fire burns, is
that you may take care not to play with it, and so
not only scorch your finger, but set your whole bed
on fire, and perhaps the house into the bargain, as
you might be tempted to do if putting your finger
in the fire were as pleasant as putting sugar in your
mouth.

My dear child, if I could once get clearly into your
head this difference between Why and How, so that
you should remember them steadily in after life, I
should have done you more good than if I had given
you a thousand pounds.